By Bernama Lifestyle Reporter
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) will present a new composition blending the traditional Sarawak musical instrument sape with a Western orchestra at the ‘Beats of Borneo: Alena Murang with the MPO’ concert at Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS (DFP) on Oct 31.
Titled ‘Concerto for Sape and Orchestra’ and created by Sabah-born composer Vivian Chua, the composition will be the highlight of the concert, conducted by MPO music director Junichi Hirokami and featuring sape player Alena Murang as the soloist.
The performance marks Alena’s second collaboration with the MPO, following her debut with the orchestra at the ‘Sounds of Borneo’ concert in 2024.
Alena, 37, described the upcoming performance as a significant milestone, not only for herself but also for the sape community and Borneo’s musical heritage.
“Twenty-five years ago, neither my father’s generation nor my own could have imagined the sape being performed on the MPO stage in a concerto. This is the first time such a thing is going to happen,” she told reporters at a press conference on the Oct 31 concert at DFP here yesterday.
On the technical preparations, Alena said the 20-minute composition is divided into three movements and will be performed entirely as an instrumental piece, without vocals.
“It is purely instrumental. We want the sape itself to ‘speak’ and welcome the audience during this performance,” she said.
She said preparing for the piece also required her to learn Western classical music techniques in a more structured way, including reading musical notation from the score and translating it into the corresponding notes on the frets of the sape.
“Although I can read music for the saxophone, reading a score for the sape requires me to translate notes such as A, B, C and D directly onto the instrument’s frets,” she said.
Alena also praised Chua’s sensitivity in composing the work, particularly her choice of Western orchestral instruments such as the oboe and bassoon, which she said complement the sape and bring out its distinctive character.
The concert will also feature Maurice Ravel’s ‘Le Tombeau de Couperin’ as the opening piece, before concluding with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s ‘Symphony No. 40’.
On her career plans, Alena, who is of Kelabit and Italian descent, said she is working on a full-length album featuring local languages from Sarawak. She is also planning a special collaboration with artists from the Orang Asli communities in Peninsular Malaysia.
-- BERNAMA
Tags: MPO, concert, sape, Alena Murang, entertainment